Shadow Slave novel Chapter 3163

The shadow expanded its senses outward when the abomination appeared on its doorstep, so it knew where the man hunted by the creature had come from.

Out there in a valley at the foot of a hill, not too far from where the shadow's cave was, a small tribe of humans had been setting up crude tents on that day. The shadow assumed that they were merely passing by — now, however, it knew that its assumption had been wrong.

These humans were trying to settle down. The initial scattering of fur tents had grown since then, and their frames seemed more substantial. There were tools and hunting implements scattered around, wooden fences, and half-domesticated wolves gnawing on old bones.

The men were busy hunting beasts and fishing in a nearby stream. The women gathered fruit and berries, while simultaneously dedicating time to small crafts and rearing children. The children ran around and engaged in all sorts of mischief. There were not a lot of elderly around, but those few who had lived to see old age observed them from afar with grumpy discontent.

The tribe seemed like a primitive one, with only a few Awakened champions to guard them against the Creatures of Corruption that dwelled in the forest. They seemed to be at peace, but in truth, their existence was a constant war — a war against hunger, a war against the harsh elements, and most of all, a war against the loathsome rulers of this vast, untamed world.

Humans were wary of the forest. They were wary of the darkness. And so, they fought against the forest and the darkness, slowly pushing both back.

From the looks of it, the tribesmen were just barely learning the basics of agriculture, which had given their nomadic tribe the courage to settle down.

‘It means that they have nowhere else to go.'

The shadow felt a hint of interest.

It knew that agriculture was not born from progress. Rather, it was born from necessity. Nomadic tribes were far less vulnerable to the vagaries of the world, so there was only one reason why they would compromise their established way of life in favor of being tied to a land — there was not enough space for them to move to.

After all, nomads could leave in search of kinder lands in case of drought or natural disaster. They could flee if a powerful Creature of Corruption set its sights on their tribe. Once they became dependent on the land, however, there was no escaping it. Unless they wanted to starve, all they could do was stand their ground and fight — and go extinct if the enemy was too powerful.

The shadow found it mildly interesting, but its interest was aloof. It would not have paid the people any attention... if not for the fact that a group of them was currently standing near the entrance to its cave.

The man it had inadvertently saved was there as well, his wounds mostly healed. The tribesmen weren't holding spears or torches, though, and neither were they trying to enter the cave.

Instead...

They were setting up an altar.

The shadow observed them from the depths of the cave, flabbergasted.

‘For the love of gods, what the hell are they doing?'

The men dragged a large flat stone from somewhere lower down the mountain and placed it near the entrance, using smaller rocks as supports. Then, they placed strange things — fruit, meat, and some kind of beverage that smelled suspiciously like honey — on the altar and stepped back.

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